PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Saint Pierre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mark Decan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Pierre
vs
Decan

178 cm
25
170 lbs
12 - 9 - 0

185 cm
23
180 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Very quick

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 9 - 0, fighting out of New York, Saint Pierre!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Mark Decan!
The judges for this bout are Joseph Jones, John Roberts and Chad Campbell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pierre shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Decan makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Pierre really felt that one!
Pierre chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Decan can pounce on him.
Decan misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Decan lands a jab-cross combination.
Decan throws an overhand right that lands on Pierre's shoulder, as Pierre tries to avoid the shot.
Decan swinging wildly here.
Pierre fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Decan throws a series of strikes that have Pierre backpedaling.
Pierre has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Decan finds it's way round the side to connect with Pierre's head.
Pierre fails with the takedown
and Decan counters with a series of strikes. Pierre will be more careful next time no doubt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Saint Pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Decan swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Decan misses with a low kick.
Decan throws a series of punches but Pierre moves out of range.
Pierre misses with a takedown
and Decan counters with a good low kick that Pierre was not able to check.
Pierre tries for a takedown but Decan circles away easily
and Decan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Nice takedown defense from Decan. No joy for Pierre on that attempt.
Decan fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Pierre.
Pierre misses with a takedown
and Decan counters with a two punch combo.
Nice sprawl there from Decan as Pierre shoots in.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pierre gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Decan counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Pierre shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Decan counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Decan throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Decan throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Pierre tries for a takedown but Decan circles away easily
and Decan finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Pierre is breathing heavily.
Decan lands with a kick to the ribs.
Decan lands a jab-cross combination.
Pierre fails with the takedown
and Decan counters with a big head kick but Pierre shrugs it off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Decan throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Pierre showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Decan.
Decan lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Saint Pierre seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Pierre is trying hard to land a takedown here. Decan sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Decan stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Decan wants it to stay on the feet.
Decan dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Pierre. That did some damage!
Pierre tries to score a power double leg takedown but Decan sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Pierre somewhat.
No joy there for Decan, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Decan cracks the inside of Pierre's front leg.
Decan misses with a head kick.
Mark Decan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Pierre misses with a takedown
and Decan counters with a nice leg kick.
Decan throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Decan.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Decan lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Decan.
Pierre fails with a takedown attempt.
Pierre gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Decan counters with a nice uppercut.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Decan closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Danga de danga de dang - Decan scores with a four punch combination!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mark Decan dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Decan lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Pierre fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Decan throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Pierre misses with a takedown attempt
and Decan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Pierre shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Decan sprawls well. Decan wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Pierre gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Saint Pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pierre shoots in for a takedown but Decan shows good takedown defense.
Decan throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Pierre shoots and misses
and Decan counters with a nice low kick that buckles Pierre's knee momentarily.
Mark Decan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Decan throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Pierre on the side of the head.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Pierre might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Decan looks to land a combination. Pierre sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Pierre chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Decan can pounce on him.
Decan cracks the inside of Pierre's front leg.
Decan throws a sloppy head kick and Pierre moves out of range easily.
Decan has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

Decan gets caught napping as Pierre dives in and scores a takedown. Decan manages to retain guard.
Decan wants to stand up but Pierre is controlling him.
Pierre in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Decan wants to get back to his feet but Pierre is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Pierre throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Pierre scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pierre postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Pierre is looking to work some ground and pound but Decan has wrist control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Decan wants to get back to his feet but Pierre is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Decan is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

Decan has his feet on Pierre's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Pierre shoots in but Decan avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Mark Decan is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Decan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Decan leaves Pierre with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
A right-left combo lands from Decan.
Decan throws a push kick but Pierre slaps the foot to one side.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pierre looks for a takedown but Decan sprawls well.
Decan looks to throw the jab but Pierre is out of range.
Decan goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Decan misses with a two punch combination.
Decan is working the combinations to good effect here.
No luck for Pierre with that takedown attempt.
Pierre has his takedown stuffed
and Decan counters with a body kick that stops Pierre in his tracks momentarily.
Decan keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
A combination from Decan does no damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Decan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A clash of legs there as Pierre blocks the low kick.
Pierre on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Decan. Decan obviously looking to wear him down.
Decan tries to land a front kick but Pierre steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Pierre tries to score a power double leg takedown but Decan sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Pierre somewhat.
Decan scores with the left hand. Pierre knows he should have avoided that one.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Pierre fails with a takedown attempt.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Pierre checks a leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mark Decan showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Pierre misses with a takedown
and Decan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Pierre looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Decan connects with a leg kick. Pierre looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Pierre shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Decan counters with a body kick that stops Pierre in his tracks momentarily.
Decan lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Pierre circles away quickly and effectively.
Pierre is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Decan throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Pierre with a poor takedown
and Decan counters with a nice leg kick.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Saint Pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Decan explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Decan misses with a wild combination.
Decan throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Pierre.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pierre on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Decan. Decan obviously looking to wear him down.
Decan throws a nice looking combination but Pierre bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Decan scores with a one two! Pierre had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Pierre gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Decan counters with a one-two to the body.
Decan throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Decan swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Pierre shoots for a double leg takedown but Decan sprawls well. He's pushed Pierre's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Pierre will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Pierre with a lazy takedown attempt
and Decan counters with a series of strikes. Pierre will be more careful next time no doubt.
Decan plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
The fighters circling - Decan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Decan tries to land a front kick but Pierre steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Pierre shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Decan defends it nicely.
Decan feints and then cracks Pierre's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Pierre down.
Decan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Decan keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Decan leaves Pierre with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Pierre fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Decan avoids it really well and circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Decan lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Nice sprawl there from Decan as Pierre shoots in.
Decan wants to land a leg kick but Pierre is out of range.
Pierre shoots in looking for a takedown. Decan tries to sprawl out of it but Pierre keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Decan manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Decan lands with a kick to the temple. Pierre shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Mark Decan is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Pierre shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Decan counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Decan. Those never looked like landing.
Pierre misses with a takedown
and Decan counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Pierre shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Decan defends it nicely.
Pierre avoids the head kick by Decan.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A good leg kick by Decan.
Pierre shoots and misses
and Decan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Saint Pierre has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Decan tries to bum rush Pierre with a series of wild strikes but Pierre uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mark Decan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Decan winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mark Decan!